When things get a bit too stressful, I like to listen to Bob Schneider. Not just New Bob with his fancy web site and eclectic philosophical songs. I also love the raunchier parental-advisory party-band songs from his (continuing) stints with Ugly Americans and The Scabs. I’ve come to think of him as the cool big brother I never had. I just wish he would visit more.
American personas
A few weeks ago, Putting People First profiled a project by Claritas to create personas for Americana. Demographic data was compiled to come up with a few dozen different kinds of Americans and situate them in the geography of the nation. These personas might be used as a great initial step in a design inquiry.
Emergency 2.0
Bloomington has a growing awareness of how Web 2.0 can be used to create community, promote business, and share resources. With access to news still constrained by the timing of events, I think Twitter just showed it’s value as a catalyst for the spread of information … at least to those making use of the channel.